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| This image released by AMC shows Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in a scene from the season four premiere of "The Walking Dead," airing Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. EST. |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Nothing's been as hard for Robert Kirkman as killing off Glenn.
Not
only did he do away with a beloved character in the comic book version
of "The Walking Dead," he knew he'd eventually have to face actor Steven
Yeun, who plays Glenn on the hit AMC zombie apocalypse television
series. Although the series departs from its source material, he knew
Yeun would wonder about his fate on Season 4, which begins Sunday at 9
p.m. EDT.
"It was really strange for me
writing that, knowing that Steven was going to read it," Kirkman said.
"There was a concern like I didn't want Steven to read it and think I
was mad at him."
Lucky for Yeun, then, that
Kirkman isn't like George R.R. Martin. When fans went bonkers over the
season-ending "Game of Thrones" episode "Red Wedding," Martin, author of
the books the series is based on, chided fans they needed only to read
his novels to know what was coming. Kirkman gives his watchers, readers -
and actors - no such road map.
Kirkman and
the show's creators long ago decided to veer away from the source
material in key places, so Glenn's sudden passing in the pages of
pivotal issue No. 100 - we're not going to tell you anything more, but
rest assured it's spectacularly terrible - did not mean Yeun's days are
numbered on the show. Necessarily.
"No,
there's never reassurances on the show," Yeun confirmed. "Obviously, I
would like to keep it going as long as possible, but it would be fun to
go out that way too. ... At first when I read it I was like, `Wow.' I
thought it was brave. I thought it was terrifying. I actually loved it. I
mean what a way to take a beloved character away from the readers, just
snatch it away."
The Season 3 finale, which
drew a cable dramatic series record 12.4 million viewers, left the comic
book's fans in a titter as the epically megalomaniacal bad guy The
Governor mowed down most of his followers with an automatic rifle and
fled, very much alive. At that point, the show took a hard turn from the
comic where the showdown with The Governor had a very final conclusion.
There
are other differences that consume longtime fans of the comic. For
instance, when's Rick going to lose his arm? Or will he? Why did they
have to kill off Andrea, who plays a large role in the comic?
Kirkman
sits in a room alone dreaming up the comic, but when he gets in a room
with the show's producers and other writers, he says he's not protecting
his baby.
"I sometimes am the loudest when it
comes to let's change things up and let's make things different,"
Kirkman said. "We're all of the mind that the television show is a
different animal, so while we're adapting these stories we do want to
keep things fresh and new for the television audience just like it was
fresh and new with the comic book audience the first time they read it,
so I feel like those changes are important."
Though
few details have leaked out about Season 4, Kirkman and supervising
producer Scott Gimple confirm The Governor plays a role going forward
and the show's main characters, led by Rick Grimes, remain in their
hard-won prison safe haven with several new additions from Woodbury.
"We're
doing some very new and interesting things with The Governor in Season
4, as you'll see," Kirkman said. "... The new season is about the
continuing progression of these characters and their lives, so while
we're still in the prison, it is a very different prison than what we've
known thus far, and they have kind of built a little pocket of
civilization within those fences."
In a
trailer for the upcoming season, we see new faces, crops growing within
the prison walls and children learning lessons - all signs of
civilization. There are also walkers within the walls and plenty of
trouble. In an unguarded moment, Kirkman says the character Daryl is
expanding the prison population by bringing in new survivors under a
special protocol to screen out the dangerous - a clear reference to
future events in the comic book.
Gimple said
fans of the comic will see bits and pieces like that incorporated more
and more into the show. While Kirkman has always pushed for fresh
storylines, Gimple acknowledges that a 16-show season means they'll
likely be relying on the source material more than before.
"I use this term a lot - it's like we're remixing the comic," Gimple said.
Gimple
promises more character studies in his first season as show runner, and
varied storytelling formats.
There will be plenty of gore and the
horror conventions that bring in some fans, but there will also be more
philosophical examinations into human nature.
"Ultimately
they're in an ugly world and how ugly is that going to make them?"
Gimple asks. "I will say the theme of this season is are we too far
gone, are these characters too far gone, have they gone through too
much? Have they endured too much to still be people, to still be able to
just be human beings, to experience love, to experience happiness, to
be more than animals just surviving?"
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